1. Technical Field of the Invention
This invention relates to computer interface equipment and, more particularly, to a retaining mechanism and system for a protective shield of a computer interface system for use in a harsh industrial environment.
2. Description of Related Art
patent application Ser. No. 09/891,933 ('933) discloses a novel Operator Interface Terminal (OIT) for use in a harsh industrial environment. There is a wide array of sealed consoles that house computer components and protect the computer components from a harsh external environment, such as a process factory floor. However, '933 disclosed a vastly improved system which overcame the shortcomings of existing sealed consoles.
Although '933 discloses an OIT which protects components from the harsh environment, the OIT still requires expensive touch screen monitors. Although these specialized monitors are resilient to harsh environments, the monitors are both costly to purchase and maintain. Because of the cost of purchasing a monitor, if a monitor is inoperative, rather than replacing the monitor, an operator calls for service on the inoperative monitor. During the time waiting for the monitor to be fixed, the entire OIT is inoperative, which results in extremely costly down time at processing factories.
In order to overcome the disadvantages of existing systems, it would be advantageous to have an OIT which utilizes off-the-shelf monitors. Additionally, a retaining system is needed which enables the expeditious replacement of malfunctioning or damaged monitors. The present intention provides such a retaining apparatus.